A Modern Shell for Custom IDEs

ShellDE is a lightweight desktop IDE shell built with Electron, React, TypeScript, Monaco Editor, and xterm.js. It is designed as a practical foundation for building custom coding environments with an integrated editor, terminal, workspace tree, and Language Server Protocol (LSP) support.

Highlights

• Frameless, modern desktop UI powered by Electron + React
• Monaco-based code editor with tabbed editing
• Integrated terminal tabs using node-pty and xterm.js
• Workspace explorer with file/folder create, rename, delete, copy, and move
• Find/replace across files in the active workspace
• Built-in Python language support through pyright and ruff LSP servers
• Save current file and save-all workflows with unsaved-changes confirmation dialogs

Tech Stack

• Desktop runtime: Electron
• Frontend: React + TypeScript + Vite (electron-vite)
• Editor: Monaco Editor
• Terminal: xterm.js + node-pty
• LSP transport: JSON-RPC over stdio
• Packaging: electron-builder

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+ (LTS recommended)
• npm 10+
• For full Python tooling support:
  • pyright is included as an npm dependency
  • Install ruff and ensure it is available on your PATH (or bundle it under resources/ruff for packaged builds)

Getting Started

First run

python3 custom-setup.py <your_new_ide_name>

then

npm install
npm run dev

This starts the Electron app in development mode with hot reload.

Windows: fix npm ci / npm install failing with MSB8040 (node-pty)

If install fails during electron-builder install-app-deps with:

• error MSB8040: Spectre-mitigated libraries are required for this project

install the required Visual Studio Build Tools components:

1. Open Visual Studio Installer -> Build Tools 2022 (or 2026) -> Modify
2. In Individual components, install:
   • MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/x86 build tools (Latest)
   • MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/x86 Spectre-mitigated libs (Latest)
   • Windows 10/11 SDK (latest available)
3. Re-run:

npm ci

Optional quick check:

npx electron-builder install-app-deps

Available Scripts

• npm run dev - Start app in development mode
• npm run start - Preview built app
• npm run build - Type-check and build production assets
• npm run build:unpack - Build and generate unpacked Electron output
• npm run build:win - Build Windows package
• npm run build:mac - Build macOS package
• npm run build:linux - Build Linux package
• npm run lint - Run ESLint
• npm run format - Format repository with Prettier
• npm run typecheck - Run Node + web TypeScript checks

Project Structure

src/
  main/       # Electron main process (window, filesystem, terminal, LSP bridge, menus)
  preload/    # Secure API bridge exposed to renderer
  renderer/   # React UI, Monaco integration, terminal panes, dialogs, LSP client logic
resources/    # Static assets (icons, optional bundled binaries such as ruff)

LSP Notes

ShellDE includes built-in Python language support:

• Pyright for completions, diagnostics, navigation, and symbol intelligence
• Ruff for diagnostics and formatting support

If ruff is not installed or not found on PATH, Ruff-backed features will be unavailable, but the rest of the application remains functional.

Scope

ShellDE is intentionally minimal and focused on core IDE shell capabilities. It provides a clean base for further extensions such as additional language servers, richer debugging flows, extension systems, and advanced workspace operations.

License

Copyright (C) 2026 I-A-S. Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.